A food writer's 250 favorite ingredients, with recipes for how to use them.

February 9, 2014

Originally published in November 2006, this updated ingredient post features new photos, links, and tweaks to the recipe. In the way that pad Thai is often the first dish people try at a Thai restaurant, doro wot might be the most popular dish at Ethiopian restaurants in America. It's great for parties.

Twenty or so years ago, the City of Boston, in a brief spate of urban beautification that would have made Lady Bird Johnson proud, bestowed upon us a Norway maple sapling to fill the empty tree hole in the brick sidewalk in front of our house.

We loved that little tree. So did every dog in the neighborhood.

To discourage the small gifts those dogs left us (in the days before pooper-scoopering was mandatory), we sprinkled cayenne pepper around the tree hole. It worked. Every so often we'd hear a little sneeze... and we'd watch a very surprised puppy move along, perhaps to find a kinder and gentler tree hole.

The cayenne chile is a bright red pepper that ranges from two to five inches long and about half an inch in diameter. The majority of cayenne chiles are used to make the ground cayenne pepper we buy in the grocery store, though what's labelled "cayenne" often is a blend of several different types of chiles. The word cayenne comes from kian, a pepper grown by the Tupi Indians in what is now French Guinana, and was named after either the Cayenne River or the capital of the country, Cayenne.

When should you use cayenne? When you want the same heat intensity as hot sauce, without the vinegar. Tabasco and cayenne peppers have the same Scoville Unit rating, 30,000-50,000 units. So, fresh ground cayenne provides the same zip as tabasco-based hot sauces.

Buy your cayenne from a reliable source that has frequent turnover, so you'll be sure to get very fresh pepper. Like most dried herbs and spices, ground cayenne may lose potency after long exposure to light or heat.

According to Penzeys, there is some evidence that eating hot pepper increases metabolism, reducing the calories retained from a meal by about ten percent. There is also evidence that eating hot pepper increases the appetite. Hmmm....

Doro wot (Ethiopian chicken in red pepper sauce)

In Ethiopian cuisine this is a dish for company or a special occasion. Traditionally a whole chicken is cut into 12 equal parts — a testament to the skill of the cook. This recipe, given to me years ago by Misrak Assefa of Addis Red Sea restaurant in Boston, serves 4; can be multiplied.

Directions

Pat the chicken dry and rub the pieces with lemon juice and salt. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In an ungreased, heavy nonreactive casserole, cook the onion over moderate heat 5 minutes until soft and dry. Shake the pan and stir constantly to prevent burning; if necessary reduce the heat or lift the pan occasionally from the stove.

Stir in the spiced butter and, when it begins to sputter, add the garlic, ginger, cardamom and nutmeg, stirring well after each addition. Add the cayenne and paprika, and stir over low heat 2-3 minutes. Pour in wine and water and, still stirring, bring to the boil over a high heat. Cook uncovered, 5 minutes or until the liquid in the pan has reduced to the consistency of heavy cream.

Pat the chicken dry and drop it into the simmering sauce, turning the pieces until they are coated on all sides. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Add black pepper to taste.

With the tines of a fork, pierce 1/4-inch deep holes over the entire surface of each egg. Add to the sauce and turn gently to coat.

Serve hot (may be made a day ahead; refrigerate and reheat) with injera bread or boiled rice.

*To make spiced butter: Melt 1 lb organic butter in a pan with 1 tsp each cardamom, garlic, minced gingerroot and allspice. Store in a container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

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Welcome to The Perfect Pantry®

My name is Lydia Walshin. From my tiny kitchen in Boston's South End, I share recipes that use what we keep in our pantries, the usual and not-so-usual ingredients that spice up our lives. Thanks so much for visiting.